Conduit construction.



PATENTED. MAR. 24,1908.

W. P. DAY.

GONDUIT CONSTRUCTION. nrmoux o; FILED M11. 10, 19013.

Q95 in Man WILLIAM P. DAY, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CQNDUIT CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed. January 10, 1908. Serial No. 410,256.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, XVILLIAM P. DAY, citizen of the United States,residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in ConduitConstructions, of which the following is a speci- :fication.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in theconstruction of conduits for underground electric railway systems, andmetallic ties therefor, and the invention has for one of its objects asimple, durable and efiicient construction. of conduit so combined. witha peculiarly constructed metallic tie that the conduit may be verycheaply installed and quickly constructed and held in place securelywithout the use of bolts, rivets, or similar fastening devices. And afurther object of the invention is a conduit of this character soconstructed and arranged as to avoid the necessity offorming a trench ortrough underneath the ordinary level of the ties, the inventionproviding means whereby the requisite depth of ballast may be usedwithout the necessity of using specially constructed and extra highrails and securing the proper interior space in the conduit without thenecessity of a trench as above noted.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention. consists in certain constructions,arrangements, and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1. is a transverse sectional view of a conduit roadwayconstruction built in accordance with the principles of my invention;Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the conduit 3 Fig. 3 isa fragmentary perspective view of one section of the conduit; Fig. 4 isa sectional perspective view of one of the ties or conduit supports.

Corresponding and like parts-are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

Each of my improved ties is constructed of cast steel or any otherdesired metal and embodies a base portion 1 which is preferably dishedor formed with upturned side and end edges 1 in order that it may beeffectively anchored in place by the ballast. Each tie also embodies amiddle longitudinal web 2 and a series of transverse webs 3 spaced fromeach other at the requisite or predetermined intervals. The rails aresecurely held upon the ties at the ends thereof by means of speciallydevised angle bars or rail fastenings 4, for a detailed description ofwhich reference is to be had to my application for Letters Patent of theUnited States, filed. November 2, 1907, Serial No. 400,617.

The body portion of my improved conduit is formed as a continuousconduit by laying sections 5 end to end, each of saidsections embodyinga transversely angular base portion 6, and any desired number ofupwardly extending webs 6 which, in the present instance, form a middlecompartment for one,

two, or more motor feed wires and conductors, and. two side compartmentsfor telephone, telegraph, lighting, or other wires or cables. Preferablythe middle compartment is formed with drains 7 located at any desiredintervals. For the purposes of illustration only, I have shown themiddle compartment as containing a single rail 8 of wood or othernon-conducting material banked by concrete or the like on both sides,and a single feed wire 9 arranged for engagement with the plow ortrolley wheel 10. In the outer compartments, wires 11 are indicated,said wires being packed in abestos or the like.

The present invention has principally to do with the correlatedarrangement of conduit sections and the supports or ties that arespecially constructed therefor. As indicated best in Fig. 4, eachlongitudinal web 2 is thickened at its middle portion as indicated at 2and is cut away to form with the intersecting transverse web convergingsloping surfaces 12 and 13 which form a pocket at the middle of the tiefor the reception of the two abutting lips 14 formed at the ends of theadjoining sections 5 of the conduit, thereby holding the said sectionssecurely in place as against both sidewise and longitudinal movement. Toassist in holding the conduit sections securely in place, the middlethickened portion 2 of each longitudinal web 2 is formed at oppositesides of the pocket constituted by the sloping surfaces 12 and 13, withinwardly facing shoulders 15 between which a longitudinal rib 16 formedon the base 6 of the conduit section fits. Furthermore, two outer andupwardly extending shoulders 17 are formed in the thickened portion 2beyond the shoulders 15 and between these shoulders 17 the side portionsor outermost upwardly extending webs 6'" fit, the conduit sections beingthereby held rigid as against any sidewise movement. Finally, eachthickened portion 2'" is formed, beyond the shoulders 17 with downwardlyand outwardly sloping recesses 18 in which the conduit covers or lids 19fit, as best seen in Fig. 1, said covers being angular as shown andabutting against the upper edges of the webs 6, the entire structurebeing held securely in place as against any upward displacement by meansof the ballast which in the present instance is shown as includingpaving blocks 20.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, light,durable, and efficient construction of conduit of thecharacter-described that may be cheaply manufactured and easilyinstalled and held securely in place without the use of bolts, rivets,or similar fastening devices, and one that will accomplish the resultsor objects set forth in the outset of the specification.

It is manifest that I may provide manholes in any of the lids or coversat any desired points along the track for the purpose of obtainingaccess to any of the compartments within the conduit and that suchmanholes may be of any desired construction. At the same time, it is tobe noted that manholes are not necessary at frequent intervals for thereason that the vacuum process may be used for cleaning out the conduit,as the conduit is practically continuous and the sections fit tightlyone against the other.

As best seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the conduit sections may be formed withlongitudinally extending depressions 8 for the rails 8 to fit in.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A conduit of the character described, constructed in a series oflongitudinal sections laid end to end and formed at their abutting endswith lips, and supports for said sections said supports being formedwith pockets receiving said lips.

2. A conduit of the character described,

constructed in a series of longitudinal sections laid end to end andformed at their adjoining ends with downwardly extending lips, metallicties formed with longitudinal and transverse webs intersecting eachother and provided at the intersections with downwardly slopingconverging surfaces in which the said lips are received.

3. A conduit of the character described,'

constructed in longitudinal sections laid end to end, ties formed withshoulders between which said sections fit and are held against lateralmovement, the ties being also formed, in connection with the conduitsections with means for holding sections as against longitudinalmovement, and covers for said sections resting upon said ties.

4. A conduit of the character described constructed. in a series oflongitudinal sections, ties for supporting said sections, the ties beingformed with pockets and the sections with downwardly extending lipsfitting in said pockets, the ties being further formed with inwardlyfacing shoulders between which the sections fit, and the ties being alsoformed with downwardly and outwardly inclined recesses, and covers forthe sections fitting in said recesses.

5. A conduit of the character described, constructed in longitudinalsections, supports or ties for said sections, said ties being providedwith a longitudinal web and transverse webs, one of said transversewebs, intersecting the longitudinal web at the middle thereof, andsaidwebs being formed at such point of in tersection with converging slopingwalls,the

sections being formed with downwardly extending lips resting on saidwalls, the longitudinal web being formed with inwardly facing shouldersand beyond said shoulders on both sides thereof, with outwardly anddownwardly inclined recesses, the conduit sections fitting between theshoulders, and angular covers fitting in said recesses and extendingover the said sections.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM P. DAY.

